Washington, September 27 (RHC)-- The U.S. Department of Defense says American warplanes have launched new airstrikes against the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said on Friday that 10 airstrikes were carried out in Iraq and Syria targeting ISIL on Thursday and Friday, destroying several tanks, armed vehicles and militant bases.

In Iraq, the U.S. military said it demolished a guard shack and three four-wheel drive military vehicles as well as a checkpoint and command and control node belonging to ISIL. There were also three strikes on ISIL targets in eastern Syria.

A UK-based Syrian opposition group said on Friday that the U.S.-led coalition has bombed oil facilities in east and northeast Syria, where the ISIL pumps oil. The insurgents have reportedly stopped oil extraction in the eastern province of Deir al-zawr, following the strikes there. The United States has conducted dozens of airstrikes against ISIL targets in Iraq since mid-August.

The U.S.-led military campaign against the ISIL terrorists in Syria began on Monday, without Damascus’ permission, which is seen as illegal under international law.

Fighter aircraft from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have taken part in the airstrikes in Syria. French fighter jets have struck ISIL targets in Iraq.

The ISIL terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, control large parts of Syria's northern territory. ISIL sent its fighters into Iraq in June, quickly seizing vast expanse of land straddling the border between the two countries.

The ISIL terrorists have captured several oilfields in Syria and neighboring Iraq. They rely on them as a vital source of income. According to reports, ISIL is currently in control of seven oil fields in Iraq and large amounts of the country’s wheat supplies.